2009–2010 - Grove City College

General Education and Degree Programs / 55
WRITING INTENSIVE (WI) / SPEAKING INTENSIVE (SI) /
INFORMATION LITERACY (IL) STUDIES
Recognizing that an essential component of academic preparation and lifelong learning
consists of the ability to locate, evaluate, and present information, the College requires all
students to complete a sequence of courses that provide instruction in information literacy,
writing, and speaking.
The Writing Intensive/Information Literacy (WI/IL) expectations are met through two
curriculum tracks which are designed to provide a general across-the-curriculum introduction
plus additional major-specific instruction. First, a foundation is laid for all students
through our general education curriculum. There, the initial three courses of the Civilization
Series build students’ generalized knowledge of resources and culminate with a full research
paper. Humanities 101 “Civilization” initiates students into Information Literacy through
general library, database, and internet use. Humanities 102 “Civilization and Biblical
Revelation” builds upon those resources and focuses on bibliographic instruction. Lastly,
Humanities 201 “Civilization and the Speculative Mind” ties together the lessons of the previous
two courses by providing Writing Intensive instruction through a research paper,
including a draft and final version.
Building upon the general instruction received through the Civilization Series, each
department provides discipline-specific instruction to its majors either within a single course
or across several courses, concluding in a research paper and frequently an oral presentation.
Students receive exposure to major databases, library resources, internet resources,
and scholarly research techniques employed by professionals.
The Speaking Intensive (SI) component of our General Education curriculum is fulfilled
through major related courses where students learn both basic and advanced public
speaking skills.
CIVILIZATION SERIES
The Civilization Series, also called the “Humanities Core” (HUMA), discusses the origins,
merit, and influence of history’s most decisive ideas, literary works, and artistic products
in six three-credit hour courses. Students study the leading thinkers, books, and ideas
in religion, philosophy, history, political science, economics, literature, art, and music.
Reflecting the vision of the founders of Grove City College, these six courses encourage
intellectual, moral, spiritual, and social development grounded in Christian ideas of truth,
morality and freedom. Although these 18 hours in the humanities examine many different
points of view and consider other nations and cultures, they emphasize America’s religious,
political, and economic heritage of individual freedom and responsibility and their part in
the development of Western civilization.
HUMA 101, 102, and 201 must be taken in sequence and should be completed by the
end of the sophomore year.
HUMA 101. CIVILIZATION. An examination of foundational questions, worldviews, major movements,
and decisive developments in the history of civilization. It emphasizes the formation and spread
of the principles and institutions of freedom and provides an interpretive framework for the
Civilization series, and must be taken during the first semester of attendance at Grove City College.
This course includes the first component of the across-the-curriculum Information Literacy (IL)
requirement for graduation. Similar courses taken at other institutions will transfer as elective credit
and may not be used to fulfill this requirement. Semester course, three hours.